**Beth
**Welcome to The English We Speak. I’m Beth.
FeifeiAnd I’m Feifei.
**Beth
**Happy New Year, Feifei! We have an expression that means ‘have something good to offer in a situation’, and the phrase is ‘bring something to the party’.
Feifei‘Bring something to the party’. I’m bringing crisps and dips to our New Year’s party! But that’s not quite what we mean here, is it Beth? Can you tell us when we use it?
**Beth
**Well, we don’t usually use it literally. For example, you are a great presenter, a talented writer, you have a PhD and you bring amazing food to work. You bring a lot to the party, Feifei.
FeifeiThank you! So, when we say ‘bring something to the party’, ‘bring something’ means ‘offer something’ and ’the party’ means a situation.
**Beth
**Exactly. I think you offer a lot of experience and knowledge to our department. By the way, aren’t we having a big meeting about our 2024 plans later ?
FeifeiYes! I’ve been very busy preparing. I’ve been working here for many years, so I’ll be bringing lots of expertise to the party.
**Beth
**As long as you bring creativity to the party too, we’ll have another exciting year of English programmes. Let’s hear some more examples.
ExamplesYou have the qualifications for the job, but what other skills can you bring to the party?
Her investment will bring a lot to the party. She’s such a big name in business.
I might be young, but I think I bring a lot to the party.
FeifeiYou’re listening to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English, and we are learning the expression ‘bring something to the party’, which is a way of saying you contribute something positive.
**Beth
**It’s frequently used in discussions and negotiations, so can be used at work, and there’s a slightly more formal version that means the same thing.
FeifeiYes. A similar expression is ‘bring something to the table’. Beth, you’re coming to the big new year meeting too, aren’t you?
**Beth
**I am but you’ll have to wait to see what I’m bringing to the table!
FeifeiHmm, it sounds interesting. See you next time!
**Beth
**Bye.